A minha Lista de blogues

quarta-feira, 27 de novembro de 2013

Thanksgiving Day in the USA is celebrated tomorrow. It is followed by Black Friday, the beginning of Christmas shopping season with shops opening very early for many promotional sales.Read the Thanksgiving story here!Now answerabout Thanksgiving.

quarta-feira, 20 de novembro de 2013

Today is
pyjama day. When I was living in the USA there was a day at school, in which
students were supposed to wear their pyjamas. I never understood the reason and
thought it was rather silly. However I´ve recently learned that we are also
commemorating this day in Portugal and that it symbolizes the children who have
no family and therefore no one to comfort them. While I still find wearing a
pyjama outside the bedroom odd, I recognize the importance of remembering those
less fortunate than us.

While a vast majority of the world's population has access to mobile phones, one third -some 2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation, the United Nations said. The consequences on human health, dignity and security, the environment, and social and economic development are dramatic: each year, more than 800,000 children under 5 die from diarrhea, many due to poor sanitation.

To address these issues, the “Sanitation for All” Resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2013, designating 19 November as World Toilet Day.

sábado, 16 de novembro de 2013

The story is about the controversy around Hannah Arendt’s articles for The New Yorker magazine about “Eichmann in Jerusalem,” the trial of the Nazi war criminal . It is a biographical film spoken in German and English (Hannah Arendt became an American citizen after fleeing Camp Gurs in the German occupied France).

The film depicts other prominent intellectuals, including philosopher Heidegger, but it is not an intellectual film. Hannah´s happy marriage to Heinrich Blücher and her friendship with Mary McCarthy are very important in the way the story is presented.

The film glorifies thinking, making it appropriate for students dealing with philosophy for the first time this year.

terça-feira, 12 de novembro de 2013

One World Trade Center is officially taller than the Willis Tower in Chicago, which had been the tallest building in the country since it was completed — and named the Sears Tower — in 1974.

One World Trade Center, which will debut in 2014, is still under construction. However, a majority of the structure is complete. It has 94 floors above ground , five floors below and 71 elevators with a top speed of 10.16 meters per second.

The Empire State Building was named after New York, "The Empire State".This skyscraper was the world´s tallest building for 40 years, until the completion of the World Trade Center (Twin Towers) 1n 1970.

The Chrysler Building was completed in 1930. It was briefly the tallest building in the world until the Empire State Building opened in 1931.

The Woolworth Building, which was completed in 1913, was the tallest building in the world until the Chrysler in 1930. One of the curious things about this building is that it was paid in cash.

The Flatiron Building is a 22- storeyed limestone structure resembling an iron. In 1902 it was one of the first skyscrapers.

segunda-feira, 11 de novembro de 2013

Saint Martin was born in Hungary, educated in Italy and became a Christian in France, where he was bishop of Tours. St. Martin was the uncle of Saint Patrick, the great apostle of Ireland. He died in the year 397 and his feast day is November 11.

Saint Martin is best known for the story of using his military sword to cut his cloak in two, to give half to a beggar dressed only in rags in the depth of winter.

The Duke of Cambridge meets veterans at the Korean War Memorial in London, 5 November 2013.

Wearing a poppy has become a symbol of remembrance, for all the fallen soldiers of WWI.

The Canadian doctor John McCrae wrote the poemIn Flanders Fieldsin memory of his fallen comrades: “the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row..” It describes the first sign of life after death - small red plants that grew on the graves of soldiers in the battle fields of Northern France and Flanders during WWI.

The poem inspired American secretary Moina Michael to sell poppies to raise funds for ex-soldiers.

It soon became the US national emblem of remembrance in 1920, although it has been replaced by a red, white and blue ribbon on the lapel.

The Royal British Legion adopted the poppy in 1921 and, in 2010, distributed 45 million of them in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This year, it hopes to raise £40m in donations, which will be used to assist retired or injured soldiers. According to the Royal British Legion "If you are a civilian, make sure your poppy is always close to your heart, by wearing the poppy on your left lapel, or left side of your body".

Kate Middleton and Prince William surprised commuters at a London tube station as they joined volunteers who were selling poppies.

In Scotland, about five million poppies are distributed each year by Poppyscotland, but they look slightly different. Unlike the standard two petals and a single green leaf, the Scottish ones have four petals and no leaf. There's also a financial reason for the difference, since adding a leaf would cost an extra £15,000.

Prince William has written to Fifa demanding it lifts the ban on England shirts being embroidered with poppies as Fifa decrees that shirts should not carry political, religious or commercial messages. Mr Cameron added: "The idea that wearing a poppy to remember those who have given their lives for our freedom is a political act is absurd…Wearing a poppy is an act of huge respect and national pride."

Today, in London, at a ceremony lead by the Queen, more than 10,000 military veterans and civilians marched past the Cenotaph to honour the dead soldiers of all wars. Since last year, 10 members of the UK armed forces have died during military operations.

The orange could be found in China around 2200 BC. In the map,in green, we can see the countries that named it after Portugal, as the Portuguese merchants were the first to introduce the orange in Europe. However, the dominant word in much of eastern and northern Europe comes from a word meaning "apple from China”

The orange left Lisbon to discover America with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage. He planted the first orange tree in the New World in 1493, in Haiti, then called Hispaniola.

The first American orange plantation was Spanish. It flourished in Florida, in St Augustine in the 16th century.

King William of Orange (1650-1702), who took his name from The House of Orange- the principality and town of Orange in south-east France, made many anti- Catholic laws, very unpopular in Ireland. As a result the people of that island declared no orange tree should ever grow on Irish soil.

Paul Cézanne. Still Life with a Curtain .1895

In the 19th century poor children dreamed of getting a precious orange for Christmas.